Hurricane Matthew has been a stubborn storm to predict over the past week. The storm is now expected to skirt the Southeastern Florida coast before likely making a brief landfall east of Orlando. From there the storm is expected to push out to sea and could possibly loop around for a second landfall in Florida. The storm is expected to start having impacts on Florida tomorrow afternoon and could continue to cause impacts on the state into Saturday. Beginning Friday and into Saturday South Carolina and Georgia will be able to feel some of the effects of Matthew. North Carolina originally was expected to take the brunt of the storm though this isn’t the case with the newest forecast. North Carolina can expect some tropical storm conditions at the far southeastern beaches.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND (National Hurricane Center)
———————-
WIND: Hurricane conditions will continue over the central Bahamas
and spread into the northwestern Bahamas tonight and Thursday.
Winds will gradually diminish over the southeastern Bahamas tonight.
Hurricane conditions are expected to first reach the hurricane
warning area in Florida by late Thursday and will spread northward
Thursday night and Friday. Tropical storm conditions are first
expected in Florida by early Thursday.
Hurricane conditions are possible in the hurricane watch area in
Florida and Georgia by late Friday, with tropical storm conditions
possible on Friday.
Tropical storm conditions are possible in the tropical storm watch
area on the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday.
Wind gusts to tropical storm force are still possible along the
north coast of central and eastern Cuba through this evening.
RAINFALL: Matthew is expected to produce total rainfall amounts in
the following areas:
Eastern Cuba…8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches
Central Cuba…3 to 5 inches, isolated 8 inches
Western Haiti…additional 2 to 4 inches, isolated storm totals of
40 inches
The Bahamas…8 to 12 inches, isolated 15 inches
Turks and Caicos Islands…2 to 5 inches, isolated 8 inches
Northeastern Haiti and the Northern Dominican Republic…1 to 3
inches, isolated 5 inches
Coastal eastern Florida….4 to 7 inches, isolated 10 inches
Florida Keys….1 to 3 inches, isolated 5 inches
Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are likely in southern
and northwestern Haiti and central and eastern Cuba.
Rainfall will diminish across Jamaica and the Dominican Republic
this evening.
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and large
and destructive waves could raise water levels by as much as the
following amounts above normal tide levels…
Northern Coast of Cuba east of Camaguey…4 to 6 feet
The Bahamas…10 to 15 feet
The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak
surge occurs at the time of high tide…
Sebastian Inlet to Savannah River…5 to 8 ft
Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet…3 to 5 ft
Virginia Key to Deerfield Beach…1 to 2 ft
